I was born in Poonch (Kashmir) and now I live in Norway. I oppose war and violence and am a firm believer in the peaceful co-existence of all nations and peoples. In my academic work I have tried to espouse the cause of the weak and the oppressed in a world dominated by power politics, misleading propaganda and violations of basic human rights. I also believe that all conscious members of society have a moral duty to stand for and further the cause of peace and human rights throughout the world.

Tuesday, September 01, 2015

The message of Jesus is everlasting

Nasir Khan, September 1, 2015The message of Jesus of Nazareth (c. 7-2 BC – c. 30-33 AD) was viewed
as a challenge to the Roman Empire and a threat to the Jewish religious
establishment. He was a great teacher and revolutionary of those times.
Even though our knowledge of this unique person is limited due to the
lack of original sources but according to a critical analysis of the
contents of the Christian Bible we see him to have been on the side of
the poor, the sick and the marginalised people. For his activities he was branded as a criminal, a subversive rebel and then eradicated.

Even after the lapse of two thousand years, his message of hope and
the possibility of creating a just and righteous world order (the
Kingdom of Heaven) is still alive.

In my view that message will never die, no matter how difficult the
problems confronting the human race. There will always be some
courageous people to pick up the message and carry on the struggle
against the exploitation of humans by humans, against oppression,
ignorance, injustice and poverty.

The appeal of the message lies in the universality of human values
for a worthy life. History has seen the oppressive religious rulers of
the Middle Ages, the autocratic monarchs of the bygone ages, the great
dictators of the twentieth century and the fall of great empires. The
present global imperial world order headed by the US military-industrial
complex will also come to an end in the future. But the message of hope
and justice will live on.

Incidentally, I am not discussing any theological beliefs or views
around Jesus on whose name a world-religion arose and now has over
2-billion followers. We know how the vast array of his followers in the
world see him. However, many ignore the revolutionary content of his
message.

It is important for us see the universal and revolutionary content of
his message. Human values existed long before him and they still do.
Moreover, history bears the testimony that some of the most gruesome
crimes have been committed in his name and the name of Christianity. For
all that, he bears no responsibility. Instead, I point to the positive
side of his message for humanity in general.